James McAvoy Joins M. Night Shyamalan’s Next Thriller

Although we previously heard that Joaquin Phoenix might be reuniting with his Signs and The Village director M. Night Shyamalan for a new thriller, it would appear that those plans never progressed beyond the discussions stage. Instead, X-Men star James McAvoy will lead Shyamalan’s next project, simply described as a “supernatural thriller.”

THR reports that McAvoy is in negotiations to play the role originally planned for Phoenix in Shyamalan’s upcoming untitled thriller, which is being produced by Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions — the folks that brought you Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister and, more recently, Shyamalan’s surprisingly solid The Visit.

The Visit was made for just $5 million and has grossed over $53 million at the box office, proving itself as a sort of return to form for Shyamalan, whose last film — After Earth — didn’t perform so well with critics and audiences.

There are currently no available plot details for Shyamalan’s next thriller, nor were any reasons given for Phoenix’s decision to walk away from discussions on the project. McAvoy recently wrapped production on X-Men: Apocalypse, in which he’ll reprise his role as Professor Charles Xavier for the latest installment in the blockbuster franchise. He also appears opposite Daniel Radcliffe in Victor Frankenstein, a revisionist take on the classic story which hits theaters on November 25.